Bridal Couture Fabric Guide

Selecting a wedding dress on your big day can be time consuming for some reasons. Thousands of dresses are available and it could take you a couple of weeks of constant searching before you are able to narrow it down to a few styles. Style, cut, texture, drape, and season are all-important factors in determining the best fabric for a wedding gown. Also, there are advantages and disadvantages for each fabric and it is best to know what they are before you making final decision.Batiste: A lightweight, soft, transparent fabric.

Brocade: A Jacquard-woven fabric with raised designs; traditionally popular for fall and winter, now also worn in warmer weather. Gives your dress a rich feel and exquisite look!

Charmeuse: A lightweight, semi-lustrous soft fabric, that is satin-like to the touch. Drapes with great grace!

Chiffon: Delicate, sheer, and transparent — made from silk or rayon, with a soft finish; often layered because of its transparency, making it popular for overskirts, sheer sleeves, and wraps. Ideal for flowing designs. Season-less fabric!

Crepe: A light, soft, and thin fabric with a crinkled surface.

Crushed Velvet: thick pile of different heights make this woven fabric have a crushed look. Added elegance: glimmers in certain light.

Damask: Similar to brocade with raised designs, but woven in a much lighter weight. Usually a floral design.

Duchesse Satin: smooth, full bodied fabric with sheen often a mix of silk and man-made fibers such as polyester, acetate or rayon makes it a favorite for full or A-line skirts.

Dupioni Silk: A finish similar to shantung, but with thicker, coarser fibers, and a slight sheen.

Gabardine: A tightly-woven, firm and durable finish, with single diagonal lines on the face.

Georgette: lightweight, sheer fabric often made from silk or man-made fibers such as polyester. More opaque than chiffon. Illusion: transparent, thin fabric typically used to create sheer sleeves, bodices, and backs.

Illusion: A fine, sheer net fabric, generally used on sleeves or necklines.

Jersey: A very elastic knit fabric; the face has lengthwise ribs and the underside has crosswise ribs.

Lace: delicate netting or an openwork fabric, patterned with open holes in the work, made by machine or by hand. The holes can be formed via removal of threads or cloth from a previously woven fabric, but more often open spaces are created as part of the lace fabric. A true lace is created when a thread is looped, twisted or braided to other threads independently from a backing fabric.

Types of Lace Fabrics

Chantilly or Galloon Lace : Possibly the best known type of lace is very fine and delicate and is made on a lightweight hexagonal mesh background.

Beaded Lace : Especially popular in the last 12 months, the type of lace is embellished with beads, crystals and sequins to produce a slightly antique look. They often have a scalloped edge.

Corded Lace : These laces are elegant and originally were made exclusively in Northern France. Also known as Alencon lace, they are formed by outlining areas in the lace using a heavier thread or cord, giving these laces a three dimensional look.

Guipure lace : This lace always has a continuous motif, which creates a denser pattern than with other laces. It is normally quite a firm feeling lace and commonly contains a floral or geometric design. One of the earliest types of lace, it is also sometimes known as Venetian Lace.

Ribbon LaceLaser Lace

Linen: lightweight natural fabric made from flax fiber used for more casual clothing.

Matte: smooth fabric without a shine or glass.

Moire: stiff fabric with a design woven in, creating a watermark effect usually of silk or polyester.

Organdy: A stiff transparent fabric.

Organza: Crisp and sheer like chiffon, with a stiffer texture similar in effect to tulle, but more flowing; popular for skirts, sleeves, backs, and overlays.

Peau de Soie: A soft satin-faced, high-quality cloth with a dull luster, fine ribs, and a grainy appearance. (French for skin of silk)

Pique: A knit fabric with a waffle-weave appearance, pique has distinct sides. The outside resembles a honeycomb or waffle and the underside is flat and smooth.

Polyester: An inexpensive man-made fiber that can be woven into just about anything, including duchesse satin

Rayon: Similar to silk, but more elastic and affordable.

Satin: A heavy, smooth fabric with a high sheen on one side; very common in bridal gowns.

Silk: The most sought-after, cherished fiber for wedding dresses (and also the most expensive); there are several types with different textures: raw silk and silk mikado are just two examples.

Silk Gazar: A four-ply silk organza.

Silk Mikado: A brand of blended silk, usually heavier than 100-percent silk.

Silk-faced Satin: A smooth silk satin, with a glossy front and matte back.

Shantung: Similar to a raw silk, shantung is characterized by its rubbed texture.

Taffeta: Crisp and smooth, with a slight rib.

Tulle: Netting made of silk, nylon, or rayon; used primarily for skirts and veils (think ballerina tutus).

Velvet: A soft, thick fabric with a felted face and plain underside. Finish creates a soft feel with subtle shine.

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At Regal Bridal, our amazing staff will work together with you to help find whatever you are looking for. From our professional customer service skills to our finest bridal dresses, we will make your wedding the special day you have always been dreaming it will be.